Thursday, August 9, 2012

Happy Janmashtami! It's the time of year when us Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna - the dark-skinned (NOT SKY BLUE), lotus-eyed, flute playing incarnation of Vishnu. I can't help but love all things related to Krishna. First of all when I was growing up we spent a lot of time at ISKCON temples hanging out with the Hare Krishnas, dancing and singing kirtan. Secondly, my mom was always like a teenager in love with Krishna. I seriously think she might be a reincarnation of Meerabai or something.

Anyway, to celebrate I compiled a playlist of my personal favorite Krishna-themed songs from Hindi films. Check them out if you get a chance, they range from the sublime ("Shyam Teri Bansi" from Geet Gata Chal) to the ridiculous ("O Krishna You Are The Greatest Musician" from Meera Ka Mohan -- seriously, watch it!).

BONUS SECTION:

Here's a few Tamil songs about Krishna that I could think of off the top of my head:

I found your blog by searching for blogs on Bollywood, and I really like it. I’m currently researching Bollywood and Indian-American identity for my senior Sociology thesis at Wheaton College, MA, and I’d love to be able to email you some questions or interview you in person, if you’d have time to speak with me. I’d really appreciate your help by either participating or letting me know of any Indian-Americans you think might be interested in participating.

Ravi - thanks for your comment! I love the song Enna Thavam - it's a very well known Carnatic song composed by Papanasam Sivan in one of my favorite raagams (Kaapi). I haven't heard the version from Thilakam but will look it up. They had an excerpt of it in a song from the Tamil movie Parthiban Kanavu too. I danced to the Carnatic version by Sudha Raghunathan years ago. One of my favorite classical songs for sure.

About Me

I've been watching Bollywood movies ever since my consciousness set in, which was roughly around 1981-ish. I have a lot of Bollystalgia and I just wanted to share it. I'm also a Bharata Natyam Dancer, a singer, an avid reader, and a Harry Potter freak. I wish that life had a soundtrack. You can also follow me on Twitter or check out my Tumblr account.